Drain
by Designation
Summary: Alec is totally drained, and his life seems to be following him down. Who would've thought one bag of chips could mean so much?


Drain  
  
By  
  
Kel  
  
The crackle of the plastic bag, the dry crunch between his teeth, the blast of salsa flavour on his  
tongue. Those were the only three things Alec could seem to keep his concentration on, the only  
things his mind kept bouncing back to. The bag of Tangy Salsa Chips on his night stand, next to  
his warm, soft bed. All Alec wanted to do was go back to his small, cramped apartment and dig  
in, but savour each and every delicious bite. It had been weeks since Alec had had a bag of chips,  
and the withdrawal was like that of a drug. Yeah, all he wanted to do was to eat those chips. But  
unfortunately, what one wants does not always coincide with what one has to do. And there was  
a lot Alec had to do. What he did was important to everyone in Terminal City, so his job had to  
come before what he wanted: that bag of chips, that Marley, god bless his soul, had picked up for  
Alec on his supply run four days ago.  
  
Alec couldn't remember the last time he'd been this tired. Well, no, he could, but he'd rather not.   
He had spent the last week working his butt off trying to keep Terminal City afloat. Organizing  
supply runs and B&E's, and taking part in the more difficult jobs, keeping Mole under control so  
he didn't tear everyone apart, playing Max's little game of pushing Logan away, which she  
needed to do now more than ever.  
  
Logan was desperate to stay in Terminal City and help, but no one knew for sure how long his  
immunity to the toxins would last, and they couldn't afford to spend the time and resources to  
ensure his safety. Max and Logan still couldn't touch, so it was still a danger for them to be  
around each other, and add to that the danger everyone in Terminal City was facing with the  
ordinaries storming the gates and with the familiars out to get them. . . . Logan just couldn't stay  
around here. If anything happened to him, everyone in TC already had their hands full.  
  
So Alec had to hang around Max, make sure it looked like they were together, all the while going  
over plans, not eating chips, and surveying the city to see how many people they had to 'take care'  
of and what resources they had to do it with. Resources were lacking, so everyone had their  
work cut out for them.  
  
And then there was the fact that Alec was almost the only person both sides trusted. Both sides  
being the X series versus the transhumans and anomalies. He always treated the inhuman looking  
transgenics as equals, while looking like an X and being well known by everyone in Terminal City.   
This was both a blessing and a curse. Blessed to have someone around who could mediate  
between the two groups, and cursed with the effort of doing so. Work, work, and for a little  
change of pace, work some more, with no crackle whatsoever. Break. No BREAK whatsoever.   
That damn bag of chips seemed to be invading Alec's thought process 24/7.  
  
Alec hadn't found the time to sleep in four days, and the last time he had slept, it had only been for  
a couple hours. His meals came few and far between, and very rushed. And as grateful as Alec  
was that the transgenics had been able to set up a mess hall of sorts, the food there just wasn't  
good. In fact, it was horrible. The term 'food' was seriously being used loosely. But at least they  
had something. And Alec had something back at his apartment on his night stand, as well.   
  
Alec's stomach growled softly at the thought of food, no matter how horrible it tasted. Food.   
Hunger. Hungry. Salsa chips. . . . The term 'food' was being used loosely there, too. More like  
ambrosia. He ignored his stomach, and continued to peruse the maps laid out on the table in front  
of him, planning several more B&E's at once. "Dalton!" Alec called out. The young, blond X6  
appeared by his side within seconds.  
  
"Yes, sir?" Dalton asked.  
  
Alec bristled at being called 'sir', but he let it pass. He could talk to the boy about it later, now  
was not the time. "Round up a few able bodied X5's and 6's. We're gonna need about . . . ten  
people for these B&E's."  
  
"Yes sir," Dalton nodded and took off instantly to begin the search. Dalton had grown  
accustomed to running the little errands. He was quick, and he usually hung out in head quarters,  
so many people took advantage of his presence for such errands. Not that he minded.  
  
Alec rubbed a hand tiredly down his face, noting that he most definitely needed a shave. He  
hadn't had the time since four days ago. And he wouldn't find the time anytime soon.  
  
"Hey, Alec. What've we got?" Max asked, plopping down into a chair next to him.  
  
"Movie vaults, rich guys, convenience stores . . ." Alec swept an arm over the maps as if to say,  
'See?' -Hmm,- he thought, -they have chips in convenience stores. . . .-  
  
"Who are you sending on these?"  
  
"Don't know yet, Dalton's on it," Alec replied.  
  
Dalton returned, with several X's in tow. A redheaded X6 approached him. "Hey Alec, you  
needed us for the B&E's?"  
  
"Yeah Colleen, thanks," Alec said, not looking up from the maps. He began to pair off the group,  
five two-person jobs. He went over each mission in detail with each pair, instructed them how to  
perform down to the last letter, giving them all the details they'd need and warning them of  
anything that might pop up. He then sent them to get communications radios from Dix and to get  
their preparations underway.  
  
When they had gone, Alec rose from the table and set off towards Dix, with Max in tow. "Any  
changes in shifts?" he asked the anomaly.  
  
"None so far, all the guards seem to be on schedule," Dix replied.  
  
"What guards?" Max asked. She had just returned from a supply run with a group of X's and had  
not been present in the day's work so far.  
  
"The B&E's. We gotta make sure everything goes as planned on these, we can't afford any  
mistakes, we need all the supplies we can get," Alec informed her.  
  
"I know, Alec," Max agreed. "Has anyone gotten down to the X hotel yet?"  
  
"Was just about to head down there myself," Alec replied. The transgenics needed to present a  
united front, and the segregation between the groups had to be handled to do so. Alec was going  
To go down to the X hotel and try to get them to work more actively with the other groups.  
  
"Need a hand?" Max asked. She knew how stubborn X's could be, she was, of course, an X  
herself. And Alec. If they weren't living breathing proof that X's were stubborn . . .  
  
"I think I can handle it," Alec said.  
  
"Think isn't good enough, I'm going too," Max said. The last thing Terminal City needed was to  
have Alec hurt. She may have been the overall leader, but Max knew who was holding the whole  
operation together, and it sure wasn't her. "When was the last time you got some rest, Alec?"  
  
"I'm fine," Alec informed her. "Shit. Logan's here," he said, taking Max by the hand. "Mole!"  
he called out. "Max and I are heading down to the X hotel!"  
  
"Good luck!" Mole called right back, taking a puff of his ever present cigar. "You're gonna need  
it."  
  
Alec and Max scurried out of HQ before Logan could catch sight of them. The last thing Alec  
wanted to do was have a confrontation with the guy, like he had been doing at least once a day  
ever since the siege had begun.  
  
They began the trek to Oak Street. "So, you never answered my question," Max said as they  
walked along, no longer holding hands. Hey, if they didn't have to do it, they weren't gonna do  
it. When Alec was silent, Max continued. "When was the last time you got any rest?"  
  
Alec shrugged.  
  
"Alec . . ." Max began.  
  
"Now's not the time. We need to be on our guard, Max."  
  
Max nodded. "We'll talk later," she said.  
  
Alec sighed, but let it drop for now. He really didn't need this, and he wasn't going to get into it.  
  
Awhile later, they came upon Oak Street, and strolled confidently to the X hotel. Alec ignored  
the buzzer, and walked right up and knocked on the door. The door opened a couple inches, the  
chain on. A dark skinned X5 peeked out. "What do you want?" he asked.  
  
"We need to talk to whoever's in charge here," Max said.  
  
"What about?"  
  
"Are you in charge?" Alec snarled. The man shook his head. "Then it's none of your damn  
business what about."  
  
The door closed. A moment later, the chain rattled, and the door reopened, allowing the two of  
them entrance. "Right this way," the man bit off. They followed him down the hallway and up a  
few flights of stairs until they reached room 300, and the man left them and went back the way he  
came. "In there," he called over his shoulder.  
  
Max raised her hand to knock, but Alec stopped her hand and shook his head at her. He tested  
the knob. It was open, and he opened the door and they walked right in. As soon as Alec had  
entered the doorway, a black military combat boot shot out from the side. Just as it would have  
caught him in the side of the head, Alec ducked and swept his foot around to take the other foot  
out from under his assailant and knock him to the floor. Alec then leapt back to his feet and  
delivered and swift kick to the buff, blond man's temple, knocking him out.  
  
Max intervened as another X attempted to throw himself at Alec. She stepped in front of Alec  
and caught the guy with a hard left to his face. She tried to hit him again, but he caught her fist  
mid-strike. Max used her free hand to hit him anyway. He staggered back and Max spun and  
kicked him in the head. He went down.  
  
Max and Alec stepped over the two unconscious men and proceeded into the room.  
  
"Remind me to get new guards," a voice sounded out from behind them, in the doorway. "You'd  
almost swear they were ordinaries, wouldn't you?" Max and Alec spun around as he spoke, and  
took in the sight of the man before them. A couple of inches shorter than Alec, jet black hair, and  
a rough, steely face. His eyes were a cold, hardened steel. He had prominent cheek bones and a  
hard jaw line. He had a cold, calculating, air about him. He obviously had never really enjoyed a  
bag of chips.  
  
"I take it you're the leader of these parts?" Max asked.  
  
"In the flesh," the man responded. "X5-300," he introduced, holding his hand out for Max to  
take. She shook it firmly.  
  
"I'm Max, X5-452, and this is Alec, X5-494," Max introduced.  
  
"I'm well aware of who he is," X5-300 said.  
  
Alec's face was impassive, and he remained on alert.  
  
"We've come because we need to discuss our tactical situation with you. We believe the  
transgenic population needs to present a more united front," Max got right to the point.  
  
"Let me guess, 452, 'United we stand, divided we fall'?"  
  
Max arched her eyebrow at him. "Something like that."  
  
"Well you see 452, it goes something like this, actually: we don't need the anomaly filth. They'll  
just stand in the way of us getting out of this situation you put us in, alive. It's not going to  
happen."  
  
"Listen to me-"  
  
"Max, can you give us a minute?" Alec interrupted.  
  
Max glared at him. "Now's not the time for-"  
  
"Go," Alec said. Max was infuriated. *He* was ordering *her* around! She glared at him some  
more, but gave in, admitting to herself that he probably knew this guy and would know how to  
deal with him much better than she would. Max pushed past X5-300 and left the room.  
  
X5-300 finally stepped inside the room, and closed the door behind himself. "494, it's sure been  
awhile, hasn't it?" he said, immediately brightening up, now that Max was not present. "How've  
you been?"  
  
Alec grabbed X5-300 by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the door. "Let me clarify  
this for you, 300. You tell your X's to get their act together and join the rest of us, or I kill you,  
here and now."  
  
X5-300 used all his strength to shove Alec off of himself and straightened up. "Let ME clarify  
things for YOU, 494. I don't take orders from you, and I don't appreciate threats!" X5-300  
punched Alec in the face, knocking him backward. The X's on the floor stirred.  
  
Alec backed away from X5-300 to gain some breathing room, as the other two X's rose to their  
feet. "I don't give a damn what you appreciate," Alec said coldly. He launched into attack mode,  
punching 300 hard in the gut and then bringing his knee up to hit him in the face. 300 crumpled  
to the ground, still conscious, as Alec rearranged the faces of his guards with little effort.  
  
********  
  
Outside the door, Max tensed at the sound of combat from within the room. Moments before,  
she had nearly jumped out of her skin when a body slammed into the door, and now she could  
distinctly hear the sounds of a scuffle.  
  
Max reached for the doorknob and stopped with her hand just over it. Should she open it? No,  
she told herself, Alec had known what he was doing when he asked her to leave. If he needed  
her, he could just call out.  
  
Max sighed. Even if the guards were still unconscious, they wouldn't be for long, so Alec was  
out numbered. -He can take care of himself,- she assured herself.  
  
Frustrated, Max let her hand drop. She'd wait just a few more minutes. If Alec didn't come out  
by then, she'd go in. That's all there was to it.  
  
********  
  
Once the two guards hit the floor again, Alec returned his attention to X5-300, just in time to  
block a well aimed blow to the head. Alec saw a flash of silver in 300's hand, and dodged the  
blade just in time to avoid fatal injury. However, the feeling of fire penetrating his shoulder  
alerted Alec to the fact that he hadn't been in time to dodge the blade completely.  
  
X5-300 jerked the blade savagely from Alec's flesh, and moved to stab him again. Alec grabbed  
X5-300 by the wrist and wrenched his arm behind his back with animalistic force. Bones  
crunched as X5-300's elbow snapped and he cried out in pain. Alec did not let him free. "Now,"  
Alec growled, "since *that's* out of the way, you're going to gather your people together, and  
you're going to *order* them to join with the rest of the transgenics, and I won't tear you limb  
from limb. You got that?"  
  
X5-300 nodded weakly.  
  
"Good. Move."  
  
********  
  
Max jumped as the door opened suddenly. X5-300 stepped out, with Alec right behind him,  
holding his arm pinned painfully behind his back. She noticed a patch of red blossoming on Alec's  
jacket shoulder. "Alec, you're-"  
  
"Taking care of the situation," Alec finished for her with a growl.  
  
The three of them paraded downstairs where 300 used the intercom to buzz all the X's in the  
building down to the lobby. Within minutes the lobby was full and all X's were present. X5-300  
announced his 'change of heart' once Alec had let go of his arm. Most of his followers grumbled  
and complained, but beyond that, none of them really objected or even seemed to care.  
  
All through X5-300's speech, Max had to keep from constantly flicking her eyes in Alec's  
direction to check on him. Such actions would display weakness, or even cause the X's to  
suspect they had something planned and were going to turn on them. The group in the lobby was  
not very trusting, and they didn't need any reasons to suspect them of disloyalty.  
  
Soon after, Alec and Max were headed on their way back to Head Quarters. The planning for the  
moving of some of the X's into more central areas of Terminal City would take place tomorrow.   
After all, there was only so much even a group of genetically enhanced individuals could do in one  
day.  
  
Max's concern for Alec was growing, as was the blood stain on his shoulder. Once they had  
cleared Oak Street, Max stepped in front of Alec and stopped him in his tracks. "Alec, are you  
alright?" she asked. Realizing her wording, Max stopped him before he could respond with his  
characteristic 'I'm always alright.' "Let me see," Max commanded.  
  
Alec sighed and carefully peeled his jacket away from his wounded shoulder. Max studied the  
wound through the hole in his t-shirt. Blood still drained from his body at a slow, yet steady rate.   
"We'd better drop by medical and get this checked out," Max said. "How're you feeling?"  
  
Alec stared at her a moment before blinking hard. "A little out of it," he replied hoarsely.  
  
Max studied him with concern. He was pale, a bit too pale for her liking, and his eyes were bright  
and bloodshot. Alec swayed slightly on his feet. Max immediately reached out and held him  
steady. "Come on, let's go."  
  
She led him as swiftly as possible to the medical building in the more central area of Terminal  
City, lending him her support on the way. Just as they entered the building and were greeted by  
Ryss, TC's chief medic, Alec passed out and collapsed. Max was barely able to catch him before  
he crashed to the floor.  
  
********  
  
His eyes cracked open, and he was immediately greeted by a water stained ceiling. His water  
stained ceiling, if he wasn't mistaken. Of course, it wasn't exactly a sight he saw all that often.   
The few times when he had managed to get a chance to fall asleep in his apartment, it was usually  
on the couch, and he usually had a lot more important things to think about than what his ceiling  
looked like. Take, for example, nothing. When he got a chance to sleep, he didn't need any  
distractions to keep him awake.  
  
How *had* he managed to fall asleep anyway? He remembered planning the B&E's, and walking  
with Max . . . to the X hotel. He knew he had 'spoken' to what's-his-designation, and that he had  
'convinced' him to see things his way, but from there things got a little fuzzy. Fluffy. Cottony.   
Crunchy. Wait, no. Crunchy? CRUNCHY?!? That was most definitely a strange adjective to  
use. . . . Oh *yeah*. The chips.  
  
Alec rolled his head slowly to the left to view his precious goldmine. His eyes reached the night  
stand, which was empty. They were gone! Where the hell had they gone? Alec shot up in bed,  
and remembered immediately how he had 'fallen asleep.' The sudden, sharp stab of pain in his  
shoulder was almost enough to send Alec back down to the mattress. Almost.  
  
Slowly but surely, Alec shifted his feet off the bed and stood up. He took a moment to look  
around his room, checking for any sign of a flashy bag of Tangy Salsa chips. Finding none, he  
trudged towards his kitchen. As he moved, another question popped up in his mind. How the  
hell had he gotten here?  
  
The Answer sat at his kitchen table. With Company. The Answer looked very uncomfortable,  
while Company remained oblivious and proceeded to drone on and on. "Alec!" Max rose from  
her chair, grateful for an excuse to turn her attention away from Logan. "What are you doing out  
of bed?"  
  
"Looking for . . ." Alec trailed off as his eyes zeroed in on an object on the table. A bag of chips.   
Or, more precisely, a chip bag. Empty. "Who . . . what . . . who ate the . . ."  
  
"The chips?" Logan finished for him. "I was waiting for you to come back from the X hotel so I  
could have a word with you, and I got a little hungry. I figured, since Marley got them for you  
four days ago, and you didn't eat them, that you didn't want them, so I got rid of them for you.   
I'm sure you didn't want to hurt his feelings by not taking them-"  
  
"You ATE my CHIPS?!?" Alec's mouth hung open and his bottom lip twitched up and down in  
shock. His breathing was laboured, as if Logan had just punched him in the gut. With Mole's  
arm. All the colour that had returned to Alec's face during his rest drained back out.  
  
"Alec, maybe you'd better lie back down, you may have been asleep for a few hours, but you still  
look like shit," Logan said, none of his supposed concern showing on his face.  
  
Max took hold of Alec's arm gently. "Come on, let's get you back in-"  
  
"Get out." Alec tore his arm from Max's grip.  
  
"Alec, what-"  
  
"Get out! The both of you! Get out of here!" Alec yelled.  
  
"God Max, what's his problem?" Logan remarked snidely.  
  
"Alec?" Max implored.  
  
"Are you two deaf?" Alec yelled. "Get. Out!"  
  
Max backed down and turned towards the door. "Logan, come on," she said, as she walked past  
Logan to leave. Logan raised his eyebrow at Alec and turned to follow her.  
  
The door slammed shut and Alec seemed to visibly deflate. He barely managed to direct his  
collapse to the chair Max had vacated. He stared at the empty bag on his table, not wanting to  
see it, but unable to tear his eyes away. He reached tentatively towards the bag, with a trembling  
hand. He touched the plastic, and the bag slid, almost weightlessly. Completely empty. Alec tore  
his hand away and roared with anger, shooting to his feet, and knocking his chair over. In a burst  
of rage, he grabbed the edge of the table with both hands and upturned it, throwing it across the  
room to shatter against the counter.  
  
The empty bag floated softly to the floor.  
  
********  
  
Now, to any outside viewer, this action may have seemed rather childish and silly. Wake up to  
find another man has eaten your chips and throw him out of your home, then tear your own  
kitchen apart. Over a bag of chips. Crunchy junk food that has no health value whatsoever, and  
can be found in just about any store in the United States, Canada, or anywhere else for a cost of  
almost zilch.  
  
But consider this. Under siege in a waste filled, ten block no man's land, with barely enough  
money to live by spread out to an entire race. There are *no* stores, and hardly any way to get to  
any. The only food available is hardly edible slop. Lumpy? Sure. Crunchy? Not a spark's  
chance in a blizzard in Antarctica. And flavour? Let's not even talk about flavour. Burn off all  
your taste buds and attach a clothes pin to your nose, and then maybe you can stand the taste.  
  
Once upon a time, you had all the chips in the world ready to jump down your throat at your first  
call. Now, you don't even have the time to call out. Because in the time it takes you to say  
'chip,' some freaky cult psycho loony could blow up your entire life. Literally.  
  
With that in mind. . . . To hell with it. Forget all that. When was the last time you had a minute  
to yourself? When was the last time you could eat without inhaling your food so you could  
immediately get back to work? When was the last time you had the chance to enjoy one single  
part of your life? When was the last time you could honestly say you had your own life?  
  
********  
  
Alec sighed and sunk down to the floor, completely drained of energy, like a puppet whose strings  
had been cut. There went one last piece of his life, swirling down the drain.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Next Day  
  
"Hey Alec, how're you feeling?" Dix asked, looking up from his computer to greet Alec.  
  
"Peachy," Alec grumbled, shoving his way past a group of people and walking by the computer.   
He didn't even look up at Dix.  
  
Dix winced. He hadn't even bothered to say, 'I'm always alright,' or something along those lines.   
Just one highly sarcastic 'peachy.'  
  
"What're you all smiley about?" Mole asked Alec sarcastically, refraining from putting an arm  
around Alec's shoulder only because of his injury.  
  
"Beautiful day," Alec grumbled. "How did the B&E's go?" Alec barely used the energy it took  
to raise his voice to make the sentence a question.  
  
"Great," Mole replied. "Everything went exactly as planned."  
  
As soon as the words had left Mole's mouth, Alec had walked away. Mole could just feel that  
this would be one of those many days where Alec would work his ass off until he could barely see  
straight.  
  
"Good morning Alec," Max greeted cheerily.  
  
"Whatever," was the gruff reply.  
  
"I got you something," Max said. Alec appeared not to be excited in the slightest. And truthfully,  
it didn't take much. It wasn't like he had to change his facial expression. He picked up a pile of  
folders from the table in the middle of headquarters and began to leaf through them  
disinterestedly. "Oh, come on," Max taunted, "you could at least act interested."  
  
"But I'm not."  
  
"Oh, I think you are," Max corrected. "Last night, I managed to catch Colleen before she took  
off to rob a convenience store, and I got her to pick up a little something. . . ."  
  
Alec paused, his hand holding his place in between pages. He didn't move an inch, and he didn't  
look up.  
  
Max grinned widely, and produced an object from behind her back. A flashy plastic bag of chips.   
"It's not 'Tangy Salsa' or anything," Max said, "but it was the best she could do. Nacho  
Cheese."  
  
Alec finally lifted his head to look at Max, eyes shining with surprise, wonder, joy, amazement,  
and shock, all at once. He tentatively reached up and took the bag from her, eyeing it with all the  
above emotions. Max's grin melted into a soft smile. "Personally, I'm not positive why they  
mattered to you so much, but-"  
  
Max's words caught in her throat as Alec threw his arms around her and caught her in a tight hug.   
Her arms fluttered in the air for a moment before coming to rest on Alec's back, and she returned  
the hug.  
  
Score one for drain plugs.  
  
  
End  
  
  
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